Mermaid Melody
by suzuyaza
Summary: Riko Sakurauchi would do anything to capture a melody for Aqours’ stunning live shows, but what happens when she dives too deep? (YohaRiko, ChikaYou, and more!)
1. Chapter 1

_I hear a song. Or rather, a series of notes spread out among slow seconds. I can't hear anything beyond the few sounds in my head, and the more I focus, the more complex and overwhelming the melody becomes. More instruments are added, different spiraling complexities are intertwined, and the music builds until it bursts. It rushes into my ears as my eyes flash open and my lungs violently shake my body for air._

_"Riko-chan!"_ A voice cried out from the corner of the room, blocked by the harsh beating lights of the room and the masked people around her. Riko tried to make a sound, a movement, anything to let her friends know she was alive. She could only hope that the constant beeping behind her reassured them she was still there.

Moving was out of the question. Tubes stuck out of her arms from all angles and countless machines were placed on her bed, all attached somewhere on her body. She caught a glimpse of You-chan, disheveled, wet, red, puffy-eyed, and holding a death grip on Chika-chan's free hand. Her other hand was nowhere to be seen, most likely clutching Riko's soggy swimsuit or another girl's hand.

Riko's throat stung as she tried to stay awake. Sleep was very tempting, and she felt herself floating out of her body, like she had countless times before sitting at the piano in her room. If she listened close enough, she could hear the melody coming back to her, this time with more urgency._ If I fall asleep will I wake up?_

More doctors crowded around her, refilling bags hanging by her bed, moving equipment in and out of sight. Voices seemed fuzzy and far away, almost underwater. _Underwater._ Riko's memories of the day flooded back. First, she went down to the beach with Chika-chan and You-chan. Then, they went into to the water. After that her memory went cold. Currently, she laid numb and lifeless in the decently cushioned bed. Sleep was taunting her in the back of her mind, drawing nearer and nearer the more her mind wandered. She needed to focus on something to keep herself out of sleep's grip.

In the back of the room were the Aqours girls and her mother, all watching her, desperate for her to be alright. She tried to meet Chika-chan's gaze, but her head wasn't propped high enough. The doctors mumbled something to the nurses, and the nurses mumbled something to the doctors, and a few tubes were removed. Riko felt the tubes scraping out of her throat and winced at the discomfort. The tube in her nose was checked and the airflow was adjusted. Eventually, the faint music in the back of her head stopped, but she could feel it working down into her fingers. Her hands itched for the soft, cool keys of her ebony piano, and they started pressing subconsciously onto the sheets. Her visitors screamed out in joy at her moving fingers. The doctors placed a mask on her face and she felt herself slip back into the music.


	2. Chapter 2

Riko's eyes fluttered open to the sound of Yoshiko arguing with the nurse beside her bed. She was in a new room, a much roomier and cozier cube with large windows and a gorgeous view of a quiet orchard.

"I told you a million times!" Yoshiko's stubborn conflict with the nurse ruined the tranquility of the new environment. "I am _not_ leaving this room until I know Riko-chan is awake!"

"Yoshiko-chan, _please_," Dia-san begged behind her, tugging on her uniform.

The nurse calmly promised to prop Riko up. The bed rose the upper half slowly as she scurried to dim the orange light from the sunset outside. The blind sheet covering the window softened the light on Riko's face, revealing paleness and shock on the normally calm redhead.

Yoshiko shook off Dia's grip and rushed over to Riko's hands and grabbed them.

"You scared us!" She scolded angrily. "We thought you were going to _die!_"

"We did not!" Dia-san said defiantly.

Riko stared into Yoshiko-chan's glossy maroon eyes. They're a strange color— never red, but never magenta. They remind her of berries more than anything. Something sweet but bitter at the same time. Riko's stomach rumbled and her mouth felt queasy. _When was the last time I ate? _

"Tsushima-san, it's time for Sakurauchi-san's dinner," the nurse put a kind hand on Yoshiko's shoulder. Yoshiko-chan backed away reluctantly, but smiled for the first time.

"Make sure she has her favorites," she snaps at the nurse before waving goodbye to Riko. Dia-san thanks the nurse and apologizes for Yoshiko's behavior before following behind the overly dramatic fallen angel.

"Sakurauchi-san?" The nurse brought out a warm bowl of soup and placed it on Riko's tray.

"Riko-chan is fine," Riko smiled.

"Alright, Riko-chan, here is a serving of vegetable soup. All of the vegetables are grounded fine into the broth," the nurse slipped a warm spoon of broth into the idol's mouth. Riko let out a sound of delight as the delicious liquid filled up her mouth and cascaded down her parched throat.

"My name is Nana-san," she spooned another pool of soup into Riko's mouth. "I'll be your caregiver until you're back to full health."

_

The tangerine curtains shaded the last few rays of fading sunlight after Riko was done with her soup. The warm liquid made her body feel cozy and sleepy, but this time it was a good feeling rather than a scary one. Nana-san was talking to a doctor over the hospital phone, twirling the curly cord in her fingers. Riko was an only child, with her mother being her only parent. Whenever Riko would ask about her father, her mother would simply say there is nothing to talk about, and that he loved her very much. Riko, being three at the time, couldn't understand the situation. However, thirteen years have passed and Riko still couldn't comprehend it, apparently. Searching the internet for her father's name left her unsatisfied and disappointed. His death was treated like the ordinary, a freakish accident, with no way of preventing it.

Nana-san hung up the phone and grabbed her tray. The flat piece of metal had a raised strip along the edges and multiple bumps for holding small pills and syringes. Riko shuddered at the thought of yet another needle inside of her arm.

"I'm going downstairs to grab your medicine," she tucked another blanket over Riko and handed her a remote. "Try to stay relaxed and watch some petty drama," she winked. The swinging door latched behind her with a _cachunk. _

Riko didn't know what it was like to have a sister, or what it was like to have more than one parental figure. She often envied Chika-chan and Ruby-chan and their relationships with their big sisters.

Nana-san wasn't a sister though, she was a caregiver. She wouldn't argue with Riko on what was best for her, or what she should wear, or how she should solve a math problem. She wasn't able to argue with Riko, and Riko couldn't argue with her. It was her job to act motherly, to act kindly to others even if they weren't good people.

Nana-san acting like a big sister was not out of love, but out of her diploma. Riko slumped in her bed, feeling herself build tears for the first time that day. That frightening, confusing, messed-up day that was today. More than anything, she wanted to know what happened— to her father, to her mother, to herself. Eventually she could squeeze out answers, but eventually wasn't soon enough.

Salty drops of water rolled from her eyes as she flicked through the channels. Cooking, romance, weather, drama, documentaries... nothing seemed to catch her eye. Giving up, she left the T.V. on a music channel. Hopefully they would talk about her favorite pieces or a composer, maybe? The host yapped on and on about the outfits of some performance, and Riko drifted in and out of thought until she was startled by a framiliar song.

It was Aqours, on that T.V., preforming their favorite live at the time— WATER BLUE NEW WORLD. Riko rubbed her eyes, hoping what she was seeing was real. The host excitedly commentated on the live like a child being given Christmas presents.

"The blue theme is just outstanding in the outfits! And the water on screen flows just like the real Uchiura ocean!"

"What do you think about the singing, Mai-chan?"

"The singing," Mai gasped, "is a perfect blend of frosting and cake! Absolutely phenomenal, unbeatable and unbelievable!"

"It's no surprise they won then, huh Mai-chan?"

"No question in that, Hanuka-chan!"

"Who's your favorite Aqours girl, then?" The live played on the screen, showing each girl singing and dancing.

"Oh it's rude to pick favorites, but mine has to be Sakurauchi-chan!" Riko was shocked by this news and extremely embarrassed. She felt her face tingle with emotions as her skin grew beet-red.

"Mm, and what makes her say... better than Kurosawa-san?" Hanuka challenged Mai on the spot, the drama!

"Well, Sakurauchi-chan has the best flow out of all of them; she's practically moving inside the music instead of to the music. And her composition is magnificent! Easily the most talented one in the whole group." Mai-chan talked as if she know Riko from the inside-out. Riko felt her body cower inside the sheets with shock, but this shock was a good kind of shock.

"I heard that Sakurauchi-chan was in an accident today," Haruka commented sympathetically.

Mai gasped and demanded the camera to be turned on her. The live footage cut off, and two women popped up on the screen. One had her maroon hair pinned back on both sides with a large, messy bun on top; the other had stringy chestnut locks streaming down from her low side ponytail. The maroon's greenish eyes glistened with worry as she whipped the side microphone onto her face.

"Sakurauchi-chan, if you're watching, you must get better! Everyone here wants to see Aqours, and Aqours isn't Aqours without Riko-chan!" Mai looked extremely flustered, which was something she wasn't used to. Haruka and her looked uncomfortable, but didn't complain. Awkward silence filled the studio as the video team tried to pull up another clip.

"The next group is George..." Haruka pushed the program further. "Who are they and why are they so incredibly genius?"

Riko shut off the T.V., feeling her hands shake and her whole body sweat underneath the hospital covers. _If I didn't drown, I sure am gonna die of embarrassment now! _


	3. Chapter 3

Loud footsteps came from the house beside Riko's room. Two girls were chasing each other up and down the halls of the inn, with the occasional yell from inside telling them to quiet down. Riko figured it was Chika-chan and You-chan messing around with Shiitake. Riko closed her eyes, begging for more sleep. She fell asleep at the piano again for the third night in a row. The song she was trying to compose took ages, and every time she thought she had something it slipped away.

"Riiiiko-chan!" Chika waved excitingly at the sleepy lump. Riko turned over to look outside the window and saw a life-sized mikan orange looking back at her.

"AAAAH!" Riko screeched and rolled off her bed. "Ch-ch-CHIKA-CHAN?!"

"Do you like it!?" Chika spun around slowly, feeling the roundness of the costume. "It's so realistic!"

"Chika-chan, don't scare Riko-chan like that!" You snuck up behind her and snapped a leaf hair-clip into the orange.

"Am I still sleeping?" Riko rubbed her eyes frantically.

"Nope!" Chika beamed. "You-chan and I are going down to the aquarium and we're uhhh..."

"Well, I'm working," You shot a glance at Chika, "you're supposed to be the mascot outside of the gift shop."

"That's right!" Chika almost fell over. "I get to pretend to be a giant mikan for the entire day! I guess it's a way of saying thanks for my help in the orchard."

"The entire day, huh?" Riko heard the disappointment in her voice and searched for a distraction on her nightstand.

"What's wrong, Riko-chan?" You asked curiously.

"I just wanted to go to the beach, that's all," Riko tried not to sound upset and smiled.

"We can when we get back," bounced the orange. "We don't work all day, we get off around sunset! We can go then!"

"That's alright with me," You stuck out her tongue. "I can practice my swimming too since Chika takes up so much of my time nowadays."

"Hey I do not!" Chika bounced into You, and You let out a yelp in surprise. The two girls argued back and forth if Chika-chan was a full-blown time commitment. Riko wondered if Yoshiko and her argued like this— how embarrassing!

Riko's cheeks turned bright red at the thought of arguing with her fallen angel friend. "Ooo-kay girls, I'll see you then," Riko awkwardly got up and shuffled to her closet.

"Hey, Riko-chan? Where you going?" Chika whined. "I thought we were gonna talk?"

"I'm hungry, Chika-chan," Riko said simply, trying to hide her eyes. Unfortunately she caught a glimpse of You's face, which looked like she discovered a huge secret that the whole world should know.

"Oh, I think Riko's thinking of someone," You teased.

"WHAT? NO RIKO-CHAN CANNOT THINK ABOUT SOMEONE; THAT'S AGAINST OUR FRIENDSHIP!" Chika leaned over her balcony and stared Riko in the eyes. Riko's face went beet-red and she started picking out clothes to avoid confrontation.

"_I _think Riko-chan's thinking about _Yoshiko-chan_," You teased. Riko had enough of the prodding. With a strawberry curtain in one hand and a maroon one in the other, Riko frantically drew them together.

"Sorry girls! I need to go eat, my mom's calling me downstairs!" Riko grabbed her clothes and ran to the bathroom.

"Waaaait how do you know, You-chan?" Chika looked into Riko's closed curtains, a smile crawling on her face.

"Well, Chika-chan," You giggled, "that's how I act when I think about you!"

———————————————————————

Breakfast was unusually bland that morning, but Riko didn't mind. She hadn't made anything great in a while, and the pressure was taking a toll on her and, well, everything. A new song was in demand for the next event that, of course, was so vague and confusing. Riko was ready to give up. Looking over the lyrics the other members made, Riko could get a feel for how the music should go. Upbeat, bubbly, sparkly, with the occasional "little demon" and a fish for some reason... (seriously, why did Yoshiko and Kanan write these?) but that's all of the songs Aqours made. _This song should be different. _

If she put the lyrics together she was stuck with:

"Little demon fish swimming in the sea, oh why won't you return fallen back to me? I could watch you glide and fly all day, oh maybe I will be a fish someday..." _Cute, but weird. _

How could she top Water Blue New World? How could she top all of the other songs she just made? Riko stared at her soggy cereal, letting her mind wander. The weekend won't last forever, and soon enough Monday afternoon she'll be back in the club room with the rest of Aqours. _I have to have a song by then. _If not a full song, than at least an idea. _Hopefully the ocean will help. _

After all, the main reason she wanted to move to Uchiura was to hear the ocean's music. Traveling almost every day back to Akihabara for music lessons was a bit of a pain, but she didn't mind in the end. An hour or two on the train was where she could mostly write the lyrics, anyways.

"Good morning, Riko," Riko's mother came downstairs holding her keys and a few items in a bag. "I'm going to the store to return these clothes, want to come with?"

Riko shook her head. "Sorry, mom, but I need to practice piano."

"That's right!" Her mother grabbed a breakfast bar and stuffed it in her purse. "You need to write another song for that competition coming up!"

"Yes, and I can't seem to find anything. Chika-chan and You-chan are taking me to the beach this evening so we can figure something out."

"Well, I should be back by then," her mother hugged her goodbye and opened the door. "If you want anything just text me."

"Thanks. Bye mom!"

"Bye sweetie, and don't let Chika-chan wear that orange costume into the water."

"I won't!" Riko giggled as her mom closed the door behind her. She could just imagine Chika-chan floating across the lake in that giant round sphere of a fruit. Knowing Chika-chan, she'd splash around and get water inside the suit and sink. _We don't want anyone sinking into the ocean, right Mikan-chan? _


End file.
